For This Child
by Katiyana
Summary: 'And these three remain, faith hope and love.' Caring for beautiful little Amy is a long assignment in human form and brings unusual challenges which affect the angels in so many ways.
1. Chapter 1

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

Chapter 1

"It's amazing how she's really taken to you, Andrew," said Elyse with a soft smile. Her smile was tinged with sadness as she glanced over at the blonde angel cradling the tiny five year old girl securely in his arms. The child had succumbed to sleep on his shoulder while Andrew gently rocked the wheelchair and traced soothing circles on her little back, lulled by the soothing motions and the warm glow of sunshine.

"I'm going to put her down in her room. I'll be back," whispered Andrew, getting up very carefully to avoid disturbing Amy.

The two angels seated on the sofa watched silently as Andrew carried the little girl out of the living room.

"This is a lovely house. Thank you for having me over, Monica," said Elyse, when Andrew had left.

"Thank you. We thought that you would actually like to see how wee Amy was doing at home with us. I know I tell you all about her but sometimes it's just not the same, is it? You cared for her for so long," said Monica.

"It's an absolute marvel. I haven't seen her so joyful and content in a while. She's had such a hard time, the poor darling. She just started needing so much more care than I could give her with all the other kids around. She was devastated when they took her little brother Chris away. The couple who adopted him were wonderful but they only wanted Chris and they felt that they had no place for little Amy.

She must have been sick by that time, I guess. After Chris had to go, she just started to waste away. She couldn't understand. How could she? And none of the rest could cheer her up though they really tried, bless their little hearts! Then she had that horrible fever. We didn't think she was going to pull through but she did. Only for the doctors to say that she has leukaemia," said Elyse with a heavy sigh.

"And then He provided two angels to care for His wee one," reminded Monica sweetly.

"Yes, you're right, of course He did, Monica," agreed Elyse, sipping at her coffee.

"But I'm afraid that there may yet be more challenges for the little one ahead, angels," said a deep, kindly voice as an elderly angel appeared.

"Hello, Sam," greeted Monica cheerfully.

"Hello, Sam," echoed Elyse, her tone was more wary.

"What else could such a little girl possibly have to go through?" asked Elyse with a frown.

"Her family are looking for her," said Sam gravely.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" exclaimed the Irish angel joyfully.

"No, it's not, Monica," said Elyse, staring at Sam. Her expression became worried.

"But why?" asked Monica taking in the serious expressions' on the faces of her fellow angels.

"Monica, Chris and Amy were taken away from their parents by Child Services. Their parents were both drug users and from what we can gather, the father was sexually abusive towards Amy. But I know that he died some time ago. Her mother was in prison.

Everyone who's cared for and worked with Amy feel that she was possibly abused by more men than just her father. She was such a scared, fragile little thing. She's petrified of men. That's why I'm so in awe when I see how content she is with Andrew. We've only ever had women working with her. At one point early on, she started screaming as soon as she saw an adult male," explained Elyse with a haunted look.

"What? Oh, how terrible! I never realized how awful the past was for her," gasped Monica. She had simply been told that Amy needed parents to care for her and Monica was more than happy to mother the sweet little girl. She only knew that Amy had been through some hard times lately with having an aggressive form of leukaemia and had mistakenly assumed that she was in a foster home because her parents had passed on. Monica had not thought to dig any deeper into Amy's past as there was already so much to deal with at present. They had just settled into a comfortable routine in the past week, though Amy had been living with them for a month now.

"Hello, Sam," acknowledged Andrew, as he returned to the room.

"She went down fine," he nodded to Monica.

Andrew knew that Sam's presence heralded difficult times. He hoped against hope that it was not more pain for the sweet little girl that he had just placed in bed. Andrew knew that he would have to take her Home sometime soon. But he knew that would not be for at least a few months yet.

"You might want to take a seat, Andrew. This is going to take some time," said Sam patiently.

Looking at Monica's upset expression, Andrew mentally braced himself for what Sam was about to say.

"Her mother was released on a technicality. She's looking for her children but has already started a relationship with another dangerous and cruel man. She mainly wants Amy because of what she's found out about Amy's father's family. They are rich but ruthless. She and her boyfriend think that if she can gain custody of Amy, she can gain some financial wealth through Amy's connection with that family.

But that's not all. Amy's father's family is rich and influential and they have also recently discovered where Amy is. Her grandmother is a proud woman who would do anything to protect her family's name and reputation. She wants to find Amy so that she can prevent the girl ever telling the truth about her father's abuse. It was bad enough that he was a drug dealer and user but she has found a way for her family to recover from that. If the society that the family move in find out that Amy was also sexually molested by her father, it would not be as easy to sweep under the carpet," said Sam.

"I still can't understand how they can treat their children like that," murmured Elyse, after a period of stunned silence, as the three younger angels processed Sam's information.

"She's already been through so much," said Andrew with a sigh.

"Yes and you're doing a good job at helping her heal, Andrew. Now you and Monica need to be there for her because she's too little to fight these battles alone," said Sam.

Monica was too overwhelmed to say anything. Her eyes had welled up with tears and she was desperately trying to keep her human emotions in check as she listened to Amy's sad past and current predicament. Her tender heart bled and broke as she realized how much her little foster daughter had endured in her short life. Each revelation seemed to slice through her like a knife.

Andrew glanced worriedly at Monica, instantly sensing her distress. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve and the past few weeks of living and parenting Amy together had further attenuated his senses towards her feelings. Monica was in a lot of pain and Andrew could almost feel it hurt him physically too.

"What do we do?" asked Elyse. She trusted in the Lord but she also knew that as humans had free will, the consequences could be disastrous. Especially to Amy, who surely had experienced enough traumas for a lifetime.

"You have the information that you need. And when the time comes, you will have what you need to support Amy through this. If you need any more answers, you'll need to ask the Father himself," said Sam gently.

"Why are you telling us this? Why not Tess? She's the one who normally supervises us," asked Andrew, fighting the urge to get up from his seat and engulf Monica in his arms.

Sam did not answer immediately. It appeared to everyone that he gave a lot of thought to his answer.

"Tess may visit from time to time during your current assignment as it will be a long one but I will be your direct supervisor," said Sam.

After another silence, Andrew asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Why can't Tess?" persisted Andrew.

"She worked on an assignment involving Amy's father and his family. She feels that she would not be able to perform as well as usual on this assignment so she asked to be excused," explained Sam.

Andrew, Monica and Elyse exchanged anxious glances. This was extremely unusual as Tess was known to be an incredibly wise, able and gifted supervisor. If she felt the need to excuse herself and Sam's supervision was required, the three angels knew that this would be a truly extraordinary assignment.

"So what happens now?" asked Elyse quietly.

Sam told her, "Your task is to go on and work with the children in the foster care home that you're in. Those children need a stable home until they can get to where they're going. And support Monica and Andrew in fighting for Amy."

He then turned to include both Andrew and Monica in his gaze.

"The both of you will be confined to your human forms for the rest of this assignment, however long it may take. That means that you will function within the limits and capacity of being human in every way though you are still by nature angels.

You will have to work together to provide the love and care that Amy needs and shield her from what will come. Trust in the Father and in the union that you have as a married couple. Love is what will triumph in the end but it seems like this could get very ugly for your little family," said Sam slowly.

Andrew gave into the urge to leave his seat to sit and wrap his arms tightly around Monica. Elyse had moved to another seat.

"And now these three remain : faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love," quoted Elyse as she looked at the couple on the couch. She smiled bravely, cheered by the love she could feel emanating from them. Marvelling at their obvious love for each other. Thanking God for the wonderful way that they had taken Amy to their hearts and were caring for her. Yes, the Father had provided abundantly for little Amy. They would get through this together. They were going to be fine.

_Note : Feedback for this story would be lovely. Just to know that people would like to read some more. Thank you ! _


	2. Chapter 2

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

Chapter 2

"Mommy! Hurts! Mommy!" wailed Amy, sobbing pitifully into Monica's tight embrace.

The angel's eyes were closed and she was close to sobbing herself as she held onto the struggling little girl, her heart breaking with each cry. Despite that, Monica continued to try murmuring soothing words but her throat was so choked up, she could barely manage to get any words out.

"Amy, sweetheart, you're doing wonderfully well. Just a little bit more, darling. You're such a brave girl. Its okay, Amy. We've got you, honey. It's nearly done. Just about finished. There, they've done it. You're wonderful, sweetheart. It's finished. The nice doctor is just going to press down with some cotton for a while to stop it from bleeding anymore, okay? Then he'll put a band-aid on it and it will be all over. You're going to be fine. There, a little Winnie-the-Pooh band-aid and its all patched up now. It's okay. You're doing so well," crooned Andrew's calm voice continuously as he helped hold the child's arm still while a young doctor skilfully took a number of blood samples.

"Thank you," said Andrew softly to the doctor, who had been extremely compassionate and efficient but still nothing could make the experience any less traumatizing for young Amy.

The doctor nodded in reply and gathered up all his equipment. In a low voice, he told Andrew that they had gotten sufficient samples and thanked him and Monica for their help. He whispered a thanks and apology to Amy before leaving them in the little room. The nurse left with him after indicating to Andrew that the little family could stay for a while in the room.

Andrew was grateful and pulled his seat closer to softly rub comforting circles on Amy's back. She clung tightly with both arms now to Monica's neck and both still had their eyes closed. Her sobs were lessening in volume now but Monica still held her close.

Monica opened her tear-filled eyes and met Andrew's sorrowful gaze. Andrew brought his other hand to gently touch the side of her face and she leaned into his touch.

"It's over now. Shhh, baby girl. We can go home now," said Andrew softly after the family sat together for awhile.

Amy's sobs had dwindled into sniffling. Monica looked exhausted by the whole ordeal.

"Here, I'll carry her to the car. Come on, sweetheart," said Andrew, reaching to take Amy in his arms.

He carefully adjusted his hold on her and held out an arm to draw Monica to her feet. Monica placed Amy's teddy bear in the sniffling toddler's arms. Quietly, they left the bustling, sterile hospital.

By the time they pulled up to the house, Amy was asleep in her car seat, thoroughly exhausted by her hospital visit. Andrew carefully unbuckled her and picked her up as Monica opened the door.

Monica watched as Andrew tenderly tucked Amy into her bed and soothed the girl back to sleep. Her eyes were still teary and she felt terrible for having to hold Amy still for the procedure. She could still feel the little girl squirming in her arms as she tried to resist being pricked by the needle. Monica knew that it had to happen and that ultimately it was for the child's own good but she couldn't help feeling devastated by what she had to do. She walked away.

Andrew found Monica in the master bedroom, looking out through the glass doors of the balcony with silent tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, angel," he sighed and wrapped her into a firm embrace. She melted against his body as she wept silently into his chest. Andrew held her and whispered sweet nonsense into her hair.

"I...I'm not sure I can do this, Andrew," she sobbed into his chest.

"The poor precious wee girl," she cried, despairingly.

"Yes, you can, Angel Girl. You're doing wonderfully well. Amy needed to have the test. And it was hard but we will get through this. God will give her and us the strength to get through this," said Andrew as calmly as he could. He was feeling desperately tired and emotionally drained as well but they needed him to be strong. Andrew had called on all his years of experience and self control to be the one that Monica and Amy could rely on.

Eventually, her sobs subsided but her grip on him did not loosen. Andrew pressed small kisses to her head and continued to caress her back. He would do anything for her and he would hold her and comfort her for as long as she needed.

Monica listened to his heartbeat and enjoyed the feeling of security and strength his arms gave her. She didn't want to leave his embrace; in fact she felt that if anything, she needed to be even closer.

Abruptly, she moved to look at him and grasp his face with both hands. His green eyes looked at her with so much love and compassion. She admired his handsome features for a few seconds before impulsively pressing her lips to his.

Andrew's initial surprise and instinct to resist the sweet kiss died almost as soon as it was born. Instead he placed a hand at the back of Monica's head to draw her closer. When she opened her mouth in a gasp, his tongue slipped in to meet with hers. They both felt like they were on fire. After the emotional turmoil of the morning, their defences were down and human passions swept through them unbridled and unchecked.

Slowly, they began to move in unison towards the large bed in the centre of the room, locked in their heated embrace. Small moans and gasps were audible as they exchanged kisses and tender caresses, never having known that they could feel this way. Not in either of their assignments had they ever encountered a situation like this and been limited to the human form for so long.

All too human desires took over as each kiss and caress heightened their need for each other even more than the last.

"Andrew," whispered Monica sweetly with a heady moan, as he trailed fiery kisses on the nape of her neck. She raked her fingers through his hair.

"Monica," he responded, her name nearly a prayer.

"Don't stop, please. Oh, more," she pleaded as his touch excited her senses.

His hands found the zipper to her dress and she willingly shook it off when he unzipped it while she worked to get his clothes undone and off him. They were undeniably lost to the utmost of pleasurable sensations as they finally reached the bed and gave themselves to each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

Chapter 3

"Buenos dias, mi amigos," grinned Rafael at his friends from the lovely white sailboat he was standing on, coiling a length of rope.

"Good morning, Rafael! Are you taking us out sailing today?" greeted Monica in delight.

"Si, senorita. We're sailing on the La Guarda, isn't she a beauty?" said Rafael with a bright smile.

"She's beautiful," gushed Monica in her Irish lilt, approaching the boat. She stopped and turned back as Rafael came towards her to help her over.

"Let me take the basket first," said Rafael helpfully. Monica gladly surrendered the picnic basket. Her eyes met Andrew's with a smile as he walked down the pier behind her with Amy in his arms.

Andrew gave her a reassuring smile, knowing that she still harboured a general distrust of large bodies of water. But Amy had looked so hopeful when she asked to go sailing after watching a movie on television that Monica had yielded easily to the child's wish even though she wasn't that fond of boats.

Rafael carefully guided Monica across to the white sailboat. After ensuring that she was securely moving around the spacious boat, he turned his attention to Andrew and Amy. Amy had hid her head shyly at the sight of Rafael. It was clear that she was not afraid of him but she was just feeling a bit shy at the unfamiliar presence.

"Hola, Amy. My name is Rafael. Would you like to come on the boat so that we can take a trip out on the beautiful ocean today?" asked Rafael in a gentle voice.

Amy nodded shyly, but still kept her cheek pressed close to Andrew's chest.

"Hola, Andrew. Come, I'll make sure she's steady," said Rafael.

"Hi, Rafael. Thank you," said Andrew, holding Amy with one arm and using another to hold onto the railing to help himself across to the boat.

They heard a group of childish voices coming closer. Amy's ears pricked up and she raised her head toward the children approaching excitedly.

Elyse came down the pier surrounded by her four young charges. She and the oldest girl, Elena, were on either side of the youngest boy, Joshua, who was only six. Elyse was holding on firmly to eight-year-old Tommy by her other hand. He looked ready to race to the boat. Elena's other hand was clasping Georgia's, an eight-year-old girl.

Monica's heart lifted at the joyful spark in Amy's eyes as she saw her former playmates. Andrew had turned her so that she could wave to them. Rafael was standing by, ready to ensure that each child climbed aboard safely.

Tommy broke loose and very nearly hurled himself aboard but fortunately Rafael was ready to grab him with a laugh. The boy was so excited he couldn't wait for any introductions. Elyse's sigh of relief was clearly audible when Tommy was safely set on the boat.

"Guys, this is Rafael. You already know Monica and I'm sure you remember Andrew," introduced Elyse, shaking her head at the impulsive Tommy.

"Hi, I'm Tommy," piped up the little boy with a cheeky grin, holding out his hand confidently.

Rafael laughed and shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you ,Tommy."

"Amy!" yelled Tommy, rushing over to the little girl, whom Andrew had just put down.

Elyse grinned fondly as Tommy started chattering at top speed to Amy. "And this is Josh, Elena and Georgia," she finished, indicating each child in turn.

"Hello, Rafael," chorused the rest politely in varying tones. Georgia and Elena crossed and started chatting to Monica.

However, Josh still looked hesitant about crossing. Elyse knelt down and spoke to him softly but he still shook his little blond head and refused.

After a few minutes, Amy spotted her friend and came over. Tommy had become distracted by something else and Andrew frantically tried to keep an eye on the fast moving boy and Amy at the same time.

"It's okay, Andrew. Watch Tommy. Amy's fine," said Rafael, noticing his friend's dilemma.

"Josh, come on," said Amy, beckoning him over with a hand. She moved and held onto Rafael.

Josh looked at her uncertainly. He wasn't quite convinced.

"Josh, please. It's okay. They're all angels. Can't you see? Now come on!" pleaded Amy simply.

Josh bit his lip. He finally nodded slowly. Elyse praised him and lifted him up and handed him over to Rafael's firm grip. Amy stood by patiently as they took Josh across. Then she took Josh's hand and led him towards her favourite angel.

"Hey, Rafael. Thanks," said Elyse, taking the hand Rafael offered. The two angels hugged briefly and then everyone got busy helping and watching as they started up the boat for their day out on the water.

# * # * # * # * # * #

"Where does he get all his energy from?" asked Andrew, tiredly. He and Rafael had been taking turns watching the adventurous Tommy, who showed great talent for trying to fall overboard or somehow get himself into all kinds of mischief aboard the sea craft.

Elyse giggled.

"Well, I'm grateful that he's using it all up now. He'll be out like a light tonight," said Elyse. She sat on a bench with Josh's head in her lap.

Suddenly a shriek pierced the air.

"She's fallen over! Elyse! Help! Someone help!" were frantic cries from Elena.

All the angels raced towards the screams. They found Elena pointing at a spot in the sea. They saw a tiny hand reach out.

"Georgia, hang on, sweetheart! They're coming!" yelled Elyse, clutching a frightened Josh on her hip.

Rafael grabbed a float and dived over the side. Andrew was hampered by Amy clinging to him. Amy wouldn't let him go. Monica hugged the crying Elena and a severely shocked Tommy as they watched.

Fortunately, the sea was quite calm. Rafael surfaced and quickly spotted the gasping girl nearby. He quickly swam over to her and slipped the float on her. Everyone sighed in relief. Andrew had managed to transfer Amy to Monica so that he could help Georgia and Rafael back onboard.

Elyse quickly grabbed towels for the wet pair. They dried the little girl quickly and took her into the cabin to get her out of her wet clothing and make sure that she was fine.

"I didn't mean for her to fall over. I'm sorry! I just thought it would be funny to scare her a bit. I didn't mean to push her that hard, honest! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" blurted out Tommy. He had moved and crouched down, hugging a post with his arms up over his head protectively. He was sobbing loudly.

"Wow, wow, buddy! It's okay, I'm sure that you didn't mean to hurt Georgia, Tommy. It's okay," said Andrew. His heart clenched at the sight of the terrified little boy, so different from the cheerful lad he had been just a few minutes before. It was obvious that Tommy feared being beaten. Andrew wondered what had happened to him previously.

"Elena, are you okay to hold Amy's hand for now? I need to speak to Tommy," said Andrew.

"His mom and dad, they beat him a lot," whispered Elena, taking Amy's hand, confirming Andrew's worst fears.

Andrew heard Rafael's sad sigh as he cautiously approached the little boy on his knees, trying to make his large form less intimidating to the traumatized young boy, who was sobbing loudly and desperately.

"Tommy, it's okay. We all make mistakes sometimes. I'm sure Georgia's fine. Just a little wet. Nothing we can't fix. We know that you didn't mean to hurt her," said Andrew slowly and reassuringly.

Tommy continued to cry for a while and Andrew stayed where he was patiently. The girls and Rafael watched in silence. After a few minutes, Tommy's cries quietened. He peeked at Andrew through his hands. All he saw on Andrew's face was a loving expression.

"You're..., you're not mad at me?" stuttered Tommy disbelievingly.

"Tommy, it was just a mistake. No, we're not mad at you. And no one is going to hurt you either," said Andrew.

It took a few more minutes but Andrew finally managed to coax Tommy out of his defensive position. He was still wary of approaching Andrew though. Clearly his experiences had conditioned him to not completely trust men. Tommy was also older and he couldn't sense the angelic nature of the adults he faced.

"It's okay, Tommy. This Daddy is good," said Amy simply. She pulled Elena over and put her arms around Tommy to give him a hug.

Tommy closed his eyes and hugged her back. Elena put a comforting hand on his back but also watched the adults with some suspicion still. Her own past was painful and like Tommy, at nine years of age, she was older and had stopped being able to see angels in their true form. It had taken her a long time to trust Elyse but she still found it hard to trust other people even if they were Elyse's friends.

The two angels watched quietly and marvelled at the amazing love of the Father manifested in the form of this tiny fragile little girl. Amy did what they could not do. She was able to comfort the scared little boy.


	4. Chapter 4

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

_Note : Hello to everyone who is reading this and I'm really hoping that there are people who read this story. If I may just ask for some feedback please, it would be nice to know how people feel whether good or bad about this story. Thank you._

Chapter 4

"Good afternoon, Mr Andrew Christopher, I presume?" said the formally suited man standing on the doorstep when Andrew answered the door.

"Yes, that would be me," answered Andrew, stepping out and firmly shutting the door behind him. He stood firm, barring the stranger's way to the front door.

"My name is Clint Warner. I'm a private attorney and I have something to discuss with you on behalf of my client," said Mr Warner formally.

"Who is your client?" asked Andrew, insistently.

"Mr Christopher, could we step into the house please? I assure you that I mean you absolutely no harm. I am here on legitimate business which is rather delicate and I'd really rather not have this discussion on your front step," persisted the lawyer.

For the first time in years, Andrew was hesitant about how to proceed. He had grown very attached to Amy and was extremely protective of his foster daughter. The knowledge that there were people who were out to take advantage of Amy roused passionate feelings in the normally steady and even-tempered angel. He would do anything to prevent Amy from any more pain than what she already had to endure from her illness.

Andrew suddenly caught sight of a glow and movement out of the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze slightly and found Rafael nodding at him with a calm smile. Rafael was invisible to the lawyer but clearly indicated to Andrew that it would be fine to let the lawyer in. Andrew complied and ushered the lawyer in. He had needed the reminder that everything was in God's hands, including little Amy's life. He just needed to have faith.

# * # * # * # * # * #

"Sam, she's trying to buy Amy!" said Andrew, clearly agitated.

Sam looked him in the eye and Andrew took a deep breath to try to calm himself down.

"We knew that she would try to gain custody of Amy. And I'm afraid to say that this is only the beginning of this battle," said Sam calmly.

"She offered us a 'financial settlement' to hand Amy over to her. Why do humans think that everything can be bought with money?" said Andrew with disgust.

"That's because they tend to believe that it can buy them happiness," came the wry tones of Tess, who had suddenly appeared in the room.

"Hello, Tess. Dropping by for a visit?" asked Sam with an arched brow.

"Yes, I am. I haven't seen my Angel girl in a while and I haven't even met her 'daughter' yet. Oh and it's been awhile since I've seen this angel too," said Tess, with a touch of defiance.

"Hello, Tess. It's good to see you too. Monica is probably reading to Amy upstairs. She was tired out from her bath time," said Andrew with an easy smile and a quick hug for the motherly angel.

"That's fine, I'll go on up and introduce myself and maybe sing a few lullabies for Amy. How does that sound? Lord knows that child should have some experience of good music," said Tess, heading for the stairs.

"Tess? You're just here to visit? Nothing else?" questioned Sam again.

"I came here to sing a few lullabies to a little girl," said Tess firmly, striding upstairs without a backward glance.

# * # * # * # * # * #

A scream rent through the peaceful early morning air and everyone in the house rushed towards the sound. They found Monica on her knees staring out a broken window as she cried, hugging Amy's teddy bear to her chest. Amy's bed was empty.

"Oh, baby, come here," said Tess, sadly, folding the sobbing Irish angel into her arms.

Andrew had taken one look and raced out of the house in the futile hope of somehow finding or catching whoever had kidnapped Amy. He saw a ladder propped up against the side of the house where Amy's room was. There were tracks on the ground and traces of a car having been there but whoever it was, they were long gone.

"No, not like this! No!" vented Andrew in frustration, kicking the ladder.

"Andrew, you need to leave everything as it is so that the police can investigate this," warned Sam.

"You knew. You and Tess knew!" raged Andrew, clenching his fists.

"Andrew," reprimanded Sam sharply.

Andrew kept quiet, sucking in deep breaths of air.

"I've called the police. They'll be here soon. Monica will need you. Tess can't stay," said Sam.

In a gentler tone, he continued "I know that you both love and adore that little girl. Don't you think that the Father loves her too? He's got her in His hands, Andrew. Have faith, don't let the fear or the hate take over. Hold onto Him."

"Amy doesn't deserve any of this. She's so young and she's been through so much," said Andrew in a more subdued voice.

"It's a cruel world sometimes, Andrew, but you know that. But His love will prevail against anything. He's with Amy," reminded Sam.

Andrew closed his eyes and dropped to his knees and started to pray. He was limited to his human form for the duration of this assignment and right now that was the only thing he could do. He prayed that Amy would be safe until they could rescue her. His heart felt like it was ripped to shreds as he thought about the fact that she would be afraid and with strangers who may hurt her. He also prayed that if by any circumstance, Amy wouldn't make it. That he would be able to be her angel of death, to bring her Home.


	5. Chapter 5

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

Chapter 5

"Shhh, it's okay angelita. It's all going to be okay somehow," soothed Rafael, cradling Amy in his arms. His glowing presence provided a comforting light and warmth to the frightened little girl in the small dark and cold room.

Amy's sobs had subsided into soft hiccups, though there were still tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

"I want Mommy and Daddy," she said in a pleadingly soft voice.

"I know, chica. I know that you just want to go home. I'm so sorry that you're here. But there are people out looking for you right now. They're searching really hard and while they work on coming to find you, I promise that I'll stay right here with you, is that okay?" said Rafael gently.

He could tell that Amy wasn't happy with his words but right now, they were the best that he could say to her. The angel couldn't lie to Amy and he really had no idea how this would all turn out. He had simply been assigned by Sam to watch over the young girl while Monica and Andrew could not. He started singing softly to comfort the little girl lying in his arms.

Amy started sucking her thumb as she listened to Rafael singing. She cuddled close to him and closed her eyes. She really hoped that she could get back to her new Mommy and Daddy soon. Her Mommy was so pretty and she spoke a little differently from most people but Amy adored Monica's Irish lilt. Her Daddy was the best Daddy ever, in her opinion. He made her feel so safe and loved. He called her a princess and he made her feel like a special princess like in the storybooks that he read to her.

Amy desperately prayed that she could get back to her wonderful new parents, even though they had to take her for all the nasty treatments at the scary hospital. Amy knew in her little heart that they loved her and that they only wanted the best for her. Amy had seen her new Mommy cry too when she was in pain and her Daddy usually also had tears in his eyes but he was always very strong and he would talk to her and hold her hand so that she could be brave like him too. His voice always helped to calm her down.

Amy could remember a horrible time when she had another Mommy and Daddy that had hurt her. It was before she had been living in the big house with Elyse and the other children. She had always tried to not let them hurt Chris because he had been so small but her other Daddy had been so big and scary. It had hurt a lot, nearly all the time.

The confining surroundings reminded Amy of her past life, when she had spent a lot of time trying to hide in dark corners and trying to keep Chris quiet so that their parents could not find them and hurt them. She burrowed even closer to Rafael as the horrible memories came flooding back, terrifying her little soul.

Rafael could feel her small body tense up and he slowly started to rock her and rub her arm up and down. He prayed as he sang for the little girl in his arms. He knew that Monica and Andrew must be frantic and that they were confined to their human form during this assignment or else he had no doubt that they would already be here. He didn't understand why all this was happening but he was holding on to his faith in God. Somehow, some way, Amy would be fine, she was in God's hands and that was the best place for her to be.

# * # * # * # * # * # * #

"We've put out an amber alert and we have every available officer looking for your daughter, Mr Christopher. We're doing everything humanly possible to get her back safely," said Detective Daniel Allen gravely. He felt even as he said it, how hollow the words must seem to the devastated couple. The detective watched as Andrew nodded silently and walked over to put his arms around his slender wife.

They were a beautiful couple who also clearly had very generous hearts, to adopt a child who was, as far as he could tell, dying from leukaemia. The pictures of Amy showed that she was a gorgeous child but apart from the fact that she was sick, she was probably a difficult child to care for due to her the abuse she had suffered previously. But this couple had taken her in and obviously loved her very much. The whole house seemed to advertise that fact.

"I hate these kinds of cases," said his partner, Detective Valerie Morgan, coming up beside him. She too was staring sadly at the handsome couple, standing together. Monica and Andrew held each other close and the two detectives watched as Andrew raised a hand to tenderly cup Monica's teary face and draw her close. At this point, the two detectives simultaneously broke their gaze, as if from a trance, not wanting to intrude on such an intimate moment between the couple.

"The chances of finding that little girl alive and well are slim to none," agreed Detective Allen.

"And the longer she's gone, the slimmer those chances are. We don't even know how long she was gone before the mother went up to wake her up," muttered Detective Morgan.

"Do you think that they'll survive this? As a couple?" asked Detective Allen.

"They must already know that they were going to lose her soon anyway. But they still adopted her. Child Services say that they had applied to adopt her just before her diagnosis came through and they refused to back out when they were told. They must be an amazing couple and they obviously really love her, Amy was a very lucky little girl," observed Detective Morgan.

"And maybe that's it for her. Her good fortune's just run out. It looks like the past few months have been a dream come true for Amy, nothing we've found indicates otherwise. The neighbours, teachers and everyone in contact with the family confirm that. Amy was adopted by the most devoted parents any child could hope for. Then something like this happens to the poor kid," sighed Detective Allen.

"I wonder how much they can take. The wife looks like such a fragile little thing and it's only been a few months since Amy's come into their lives. It may still be too new and they probably haven't had the worst of it yet, trying to parent such a damaged child," said Detective Morgan.

"At this rate, dealing with Amy's past demons is going to be the least of their problems. We need to get her back first and right now, who knows what kind of human demons have taken her?" said Detective Allen, darkly.


	6. Chapter 6

Title : For this Child

Author : Katiyana

Disclaimer : All identifiable characters aren't mine.

Chapter 6

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Gloria as she saw the young woman staring wide eyed at the television screen in the shop window with her hands clasped over her mouth.

"What? I, oh. No, I'm fine. It's okay. I'm fine," muttered the young woman repetitively as she rushed away.

Gloria stared after her curiously then she looked into the shop window the woman had been peering into. It displayed a range of plasma televisions all tuned into a single news channel. Currently it was the sports report being broadcast. She wondered why that would upset the young woman so much.

Then Gloria stood still, cocked her head slightly like she was listening to something for a few seconds and with a shrug, walked away.

"Hello there, I do hope that you're feeling better," greeted Gloria cheerily as she noticed the young woman she had seen previously sitting on a bench in the park.

The woman looked up at her with dark frightened eyes it was obvious that she had been crying. Gloria's soft heart melted and she sat down next to her to try to comfort her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Do you need any help?" she asked kindly.

For some reason, the woman felt that she could trust Gloria. She looked around with terrified eyes and looked back at Gloria mutely.

"What's your name?" asked Gloria.

"Constance," was a soft whisper.

"Hi, Constance. My name is Gloria. Now would you like to tell me why you're sitting on a bench in a park on a beautiful day and crying?" asked Gloria gently.

Constance lowered her eyes and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Gloria resisted the urge to shift impatiently. Humans tended to take their time about doing things. She had learned quite early on that you could not hurry people along.

"I'm scared," started Constance.

"And why's that?" prodded Gloria after a pause.

Constance lowered her voice again, "I think I know how to find the little girl," she mumbled.

Gloria leaned closer.

"What do you mean, Constance?" she prompted, praying that it meant what she hoped it did.

"The little girl on tv, that got kidnapped. I ... I think I know who took her," continued Constance softly.

"Do you know where she is?" asked Gloria, trying to rein in her impatience.

Her heart fell as Constance shook her head.

"But I've seen her picture. They were arguing with Madame. They had a photograph of the little girl. But she looked scared," said Constance fearfully.

"Constance, you need to go to the police station and tell the police what you've just told me. This could help in rescuing that little girl," said Gloria.

"But I could lose my job," moaned Constance hesitantly.

"Constance," said Gloria, turning her so that she could look into her eyes.

"I know that this is very difficult for you. But please think about that little girl. She was taken from her family who love her very much. She's scared and sick and far away from home. If that were your daughter, wouldn't you be praying for someone to help bring her home?" she appealed gently.

Constance's eyes filled with tears again and she shut them tightly as she nodded.

"Would you like me to go with you?" asked Gloria.

Constance nodded again and stood up with Gloria to make their way to the nearest police station.

The information that she provided gave the police a solid lead to follow up. She had no idea who the people were who had argued with her employer. But the police found out that the lady Constance worked for as a housemaid was Amy's biological grandmother.

However, from Constance's testimony, they knew that the child was not in the house and must be somewhere with the people who had the photograph of her. Constance was able to identify one of them as Amy's biological mother from recent photographs.

The police bided their time and kept a close watch on the Amy's grandmother's house. They also managed to obtain a warrant to tap her phone line. It was another two days before they got any results. A suspicious telephone conversation led them to investigate an old abandoned house on the outskirts of town.

Rafael heaved a sigh of great relief when he heard the police entering the building that Amy was imprisoned in. He gently woke the little girl up and hugged her close as the police searched though the building before finally finding the door to the basement. He knew that Amy hated the dark. She was very weak and tired. They had barely fed her and it was cold down in the basement. Rafael was glad that they had found her. If they had not, then it might have been Andrew who had to come and take her home. He knew that it would be incredibly difficult for his fair-haired friend.

# * # * # * # * #

Amy drifted in and out of sleep as she was whisked away to the hospital and checked over. She opened her eyes long enough to smile a sweet smile at her parents when they came to see her at the hospital. She was so tired. She felt herself being kissed and hugged endlessly. She was safe again. She felt very happy and content, falling back into an exhausted slumber. Rafael had stayed with her. But now she was back with her parents so Rafael was gone, she understood why he had to go for now.

"So miracles do happen," commented Detective Allen to his partner as they got back into their car in the hospital parking lot.

"That was a nasty business. What a horrible family, the poor little thing," sighed Detective Morgan.

"She was just born into that family. But she's got a family that loves her now. And I think that they're going to be okay," said Detective Allen with a soft smile.

Constance hung back as Monica walked up to her with eyes full of gratitude.

"Thank you. Gloria told me all about what you did, Constance. Thank you for being so brave and helping us to find Amy," said Monica holding her hands.

"But I nearly didn't do it," sighed Constance dejectedly.

"Oh, Constance. The important thing is that you did do it. You did what needed to be done. God is so proud of you and He loves you no matter how you feel. He loves you no matter what happens," said Monica glowing angelically.

Constance stepped back in surprise and awe at the sight. Monica smiled as she reassured the young woman and told her of God's love and care for her. It was a defining moment for Constance as she accepted God's words for her own life to hold on to for all time.


End file.
